July 2014 Summary From NCDC:
The average temperature across the world's land and ocean surfaces during July 2014 was 0.64°C (1.15°F) above the 20th
century average, the fourth highest for July on record. The record
warmest July occurred in 1998, with a temperature that was 0.73°C
(1.31°F) higher than average. Eight of the 10 warmest Julys have
occurred within the past 10 years (2002 also ranks among the 10
warmest). Additionally, July 2014 marked the 38th consecutive July and 353rd consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th
century average. The last below-average global temperature for July was
July 1976 and the last below-average global temperature for any month
was February 1985. With the exception of February (21st warmest), each month during 2014 to date has ranked among the four warmest compared to its respective month.
The global land surface temperature was the 10th highest for July in the 135-year period of record, but also the coolest since 2009, at 0.74°C (1.33°F) higher than the 20th century average. Nine of the 10 warmest July land surface temperatures have occurred during the 21st
century. The highest July temperature occurred in 1998. As shown by the
gridded Land & Ocean Temperature Percentiles map above, record
warmth was particularly prevalent across parts of northern Europe and a
swath of northwestern Africa. Overall, 32 countries across every
continent except Antarctica had at least one station reporting a record
high temperature for July. The United States and the Russian Federation
each had several stations that reported record warm temperatures as well
as several stations with record cold temperatures for the month. No
other countries had stations that reported a record cold July
temperature.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Large contrasts occurred across the lower 48 states with top ten coldest July on record in the middle of the country and top ten warmest July out west. As was the case with temperatures, precipitation rankings also showed large contrasts across the lower 48 states in July 2014. There are 120 years in the data record. The following is a summary of the July 2014 climate with two maps showing the rankings after the text.

from NOAA/NCDC

Climate Highlights — July 2014

The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during July was 73.3°F, 0.3°F below the 20th
century average, ranking near the middle of the 120-year period of
record. This was the coolest July for the Lower-48 since 2009. The average maximum (daytime) July temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 85.8°F, 0.9°F below the 20th century average, while the average minimum (nighttime) July temperature was 60.8°F, 0.2°F above the 20th century average.

Below-average temperatures
stretched from the Midwest, through the Mississippi River Valley, and
into parts of the Southeast, where 13 states had one of their 10 coolest
Julys on record. Arkansas and Indiana each had their coolest July on record. The Arkansas average temperature was 75.7°F, 4.6°F below the 20th century average and dipping below the previous record cold July that occurred in 1967. The Indiana average temperature was 69.2°F, 5.3°F below the 20th
century average, slightly cooler than the previous record cold July of
2009. Although most corn producing areas in the Midwest have experienced
excellent growing conditions during 2014, in northern areas, from North
Dakota to Michigan, a cool and wet 2014 growing season might cause corn
crops to not reach full maturation before harvest.

There were more than twice as many record
cool temperatures during July (5,508) than record warm temperatures
(2,605), with most of the cool temperature records (3,333) being cool
daytime temperatures and most of the warm temperature records (1,882)
being warm nighttime temperatures.

Above-average temperatures
were observed from the Intermountain West to the Pacific Coast. Six
states had one of their 10 warmest Julys on record, but no state was
record warm for the month. The above-average temperatures, combined with
long-term dryness, created ideal wildfire conditions across the West,
where numerous large wildfires charred hundreds of thousands of acres
during July.

Much of Alaska was warmer than average during July, especially along
the western Gulf of Alaska coast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cold Bay had
its warmest month of any month on record, with an average temperature
of 55.8°F. Above-average precipitation was observed across interior
regions of the state and the Alaska Panhandle, where Fairbanks and
Juneau both had their second wettest July on record.

Precipitation
totals were mixed across the country during July. Above-average
precipitation was observed in parts of the West, Southwest, Southern
Plains, and the Northeast. In the Southern Plains, drought-stricken
Wichita Falls, Texas saw its third wettest July on record and wettest
since 1950. In the West, enhanced monsoonal flow boosted monthly
precipitation totals from New Mexico to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In
the Northeast, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire each had one of their 10 wettest Julys on record.